Dropping the 3.5mm Jack in 2026: The New Steam Controller Is 10 Years Late to a Bad Trend

There’s been plenty of discussion about the Steam Machine, but less about the new Steam Controller, which appears to be a major step up from the original. The 2015 Steam Controller was a bold attempt, but it felt cheap, was uncomfortable to use, and had some strange design choices. For example, it only had one joystick and two trackpads, which was an unusual and unnecessary departure from the standard two-joystick layout. Like other Valve hardware from that era, the original Steam Controller didn’t become very popular and faded away after a short time. The new controller seems like a huge improvement, taking design cues from the comfortable Steam Deck while still keeping a familiar button and joystick arrangement. However, it’s missing one key feature that’s quite frustrating.




